MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Looking for a basic but semi accurate lap timing device/system for some Down Hill runs.
Will just be used to help the daughter with improving on her training rides at the local DH tracks.
Have seen the Free Lap system:
https://hssports.co.uk/sales/freelap-mountain-bike-personal-pack/
But at over £500 it's a bit pricey for what we need.
Will need to be wireless/GPS as I can't be running cables down a public trail.
We could use Strava etc. but obvs this can be out by a bit depending on where the segments start stop etc.
There's probably a cheap version on Ali Express, but I can't find it....
Any ideas on how else we could do this?
Thanks
A kitchen timer with a big button taped to the bars for easy thumb reach? Voice activated stopwatch app?
Would a Garmin (or Wahoo) with the autolap function turned on, not do a good enough job.
I suppose it depends on how accurate you need to be with it.
DC Rainmaker reckons that the autolap function is pretty accurate, although I suppose it will be affected by cloud/tree cover & moving speed.
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/08/look-at-garmin-auto-lap-by-position-for.html
Or how about a finger mounted stopwatch like this:
https://sportcount-europe.com/product/sportcount-lap-counter-timer-chrono-200/
that your daughter could wear & control herself? They do simple ones without lap functions, or more advanced ones with lap and other features.
I'm guessing this is sessioning the same DH run over & over?
Thanks all.
Problem with the bar mounted stop watch is ensuring it gets started & stopped lol and in the same place each time.
Wil have a look at autolap on the GPS - depends if you can set start/finish at different points.
We could use Strava etc. but obvs this can be out by a bit depending on where the segments start stop etc.
create your own segments instead?
How long are the tracks (time wise)?
Bar mounted stopwatch might be fine for starters if they're long enough for the margin of error to be acceptable.
Freelap seems like a good group/club purchase thing, with the potential for mates racing.
Either bar-mounted watch/timer or GoPro. The GoPro works as well as anything in truth.
Thanks all.
Ideally looking for something automatic as the bar mounted stopwatch requires starting/stopping at the same point to be any use.
I've got a Lezyne GPS so will see if I can do autolap with 2 set points for start/finish.
Something like this would be good provided the wireless range works, but I don't have the skills to build/programme:
Wil have a look at autolap on the GPS - depends if you can set start/finish at different points.
It would be the same basic accuracy as Strava.
If you got one of the new-ish Garmin Edges you can have them time your through favorite segments, you'd just need to create the in Strava.
IME it's far more accurate than it was 10-15 years ago as GPS units have improved. And the inaccuracy is more to do with other people either using inferior kit (old iPhones seemed to give particularly erratic data) so if all your data is recorded on a decent device and all you're comparing against is yourself then there shouldn't be any reason not to trust it.
Or just look on app store / play and pick one of the various lap timers marketed for track days. Obviously it's reliant on GPS signal and your phones receiver, but it's essentially free.
Or.... there are various track day timing products that rely on a transponder on the pit-wall starting at ~£60. I presume some might be able to receive signals from multiple transponders so you could setup start/finish/checkpoints.
A bit of a curve ball, but can you stand at the “ finish line” with a stop watch, then somehow shout “go” up the hill, or maybe a clapper board to make a loud crack noise, or maybe into a walkie-talkie, and then time her down. You are going to have to be at one end or the other of the course, so it would make sense for you to be at the finish for an accurate time?
Radio handset taped to a tree/post > shouting through a forest
Tandem, with someone on the back with a stopwatch, added bonus of being able to critique line choice in real time.
Would a Garmin (or Wahoo) with the autolap function turned on, not do a good enough job.
Would be my first suggestion, second suggestion would be a GPS device of your choice and use set segments on Strava to review after.
If you want it I've got an old Garmin Edge 25 that I really like, but honestly have no use for anymore (I've got newer fancier toys now), it's a very dinky bar mounted GPS, when I last used it the battery was good for at least four hours.
If you want it (for free) just to see if a GPS suits your needs, bung me a PM and I can post it (assuming you're in the UK)...
Would a Garmin (or Wahoo) with the autolap function turned on, not do a good enough job.
Would be my first suggestion, second suggestion would be a GPS device of your choice and use set segments on Strava to review after.
If you want it I've got an old Garmin Edge 25 that I really like, but honestly have no use for anymore (I've got newer fancier toys now), it's a very dinky bar mounted GPS, when I last used it the battery was good for at least four hours.
If you want it (for free) just to see if a GPS suits your needs, bung me a PM and I can post it (assuming you're in the UK)...
i picked up an edge25 back when lidl had them in for £40 for exactly this and it was great.
Same size as a traditional cateye bike computer, really easy to drive.
If you are careful with your segments, i think they can work quite well, but the stop and start positions do have an effect i guess.
It was certainly good enough for messing about in the woods. Maybe not for pro level training.
You could do a DIY one without wireless comms between the top and bottom, as long as you left at the correct time.
Lets say its a 5 min run, takes 20 mins to ride up.
have a beam break clock at the bottom, that starts on the hallf hour every time. You dont need to be near it to know the clock starts at 10:30:00?
Or make two beam break timers, one for the top, one for the bottom, that just log the time the beam is broken. You would need to bring them back together and review the time stamps to work out each lap time.
Unless the GPS based methods give real time feedback they kind of miss the point, trying to work out on strava which line you took on run 5 or run 6 etc etc and only really works if you do full top to bottom runs every time.
bar stopwatch is simple, effective and immediate and means you can compare lines/times through sections.
handlebar mounteable stopwatch for much cheapness https://www.amazon.co.uk/Serlium-Stopwatch-Electric-Counter-Resettable/dp/B0BDS3ZZHS/ref=asc_df_B0BDS3ZZHS?mcid=6f103c60668039caa958523c089db75a&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697187516523&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8302279646198190007&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045997&hvtargid=pla-2276567229515&gad_source=1&th=1
this ones a bit more legit
or i wonder if you could buy 2 of these
handlebar mounteable stopwatch for much cheapness https://www.amazon.co.uk/Serlium-Stopwatch-Electric-Counter-Resettable/dp/B0BDS3ZZHS/ref=asc_df_B0BDS3ZZHS?mcid=6f103c60668039caa958523c089db75a&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697187516523&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8302279646198190007&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045997&hvtargid=pla-2276567229515&gad_source=1&th=1
this ones a bit more legit
or i wonder if you could buy 2 of these
I would go down the Garmin/GPS or GoPro Route - If you use a GoPro perhaps you can use some trailside markers/cones or key features to define the start/stop.
One thing to consider is why you are timing, are you looking at different setups and comparing speed/times, or just multiple runs to try and improve? Even if you know for example that run 3 is faster than run 7, to help her improve you need to know why, so dividing the run into segments and then look at the splits will help (you can get tools to run videos or Garmin laps side by side to see where you gain and loose time
Can you use a GPS timer on your phone for trackdays? HarrysLapTimer or similar
I'm sure Sprung had one for sale recently. No idea on cost
Thanks again.
It's more for trying different lines over multiple runs etc,.
Also to see if any changes to set up make any difference.
Have looked at a couple of apps too, and this one seems like it might work:
Will download it and give it a go at the weekend.
Thanks again.
It's more for trying different lines over multiple runs etc,.
Also to see if any changes to set up make any difference.
Have looked at a couple of apps too, and this one seems like it might work:
Will download it and give it a go at the weekend.
Depend show instant you need the feedback I guess. The trouble with GPS is you need to be moving at the start of the segment, so it's best if you start say 20m back up the fireroad and have the segment start where the trail actually starts.
A go-pro might actually work best though. Get her to shout 3,2,1,go at the top and mark the finish with something across the trail. Film it at 25fps and you've got timing down to 0.04s. But you need to faff with uploading the footage, impot it into something that can scroll frame by frame and show the timecode of each frame.
A stopwatch on the bars like the MX ones someone linked to earlier at least allows you to get instant feedback whether something was faster/slower. No faff, no having to do rolling starts, no accuracy issues, just tap the button at the start and finish.
Try setting up some private segments on the trail using Strava and if subbing, use live segments on the Lezyne to see what they say in real time (although I've often find they can be quite different to post-ride times).
Obviously depends upon how good the GPS tracking is through trees etc. on the trail.
Depend show instant you need the feedback I guess. The trouble with GPS is you need to be moving at the start of the segment, so it's best if you start say 20m back up the fireroad and have the segment start where the trail actually starts.
A go-pro might actually work best though. Get her to shout 3,2,1,go at the top and mark the finish with something across the trail. Film it at 25fps and you've got timing down to 0.04s. But you need to faff with uploading the footage, impot it into something that can scroll frame by frame and show the timecode of each frame.
A stopwatch on the bars like the MX ones someone linked to earlier at least allows you to get instant feedback whether something was faster/slower. No faff, no having to do rolling starts, no accuracy issues, just tap the button at the start and finish.
In this instance I doubt it needs to be 0.anything precise, it'll be the difference between start of the day and end of the day that will matter, which could easily be a handful of seconds.
Whether line A in a section is quicker or not, again is likely to be seen in a side by side comparison rather than on a clock (as that implies you got every other corner perfectly)
The GoPro can do splits easily using reference points like a tree, a crossing of trails, a particular feature etc.
It takes a bit of effort, but with the GoPro app you can work out the time quicker than the uplift to the top takes you.
If it's for sessioning specific features then I reckon Dad has to take up a position to one side with a camera and tripod and capture the footage for later review, fixed viewing location/framing and a bit of overlaid comparison Cathro vision style back at home...
What bike computer does she have access to? Start it recording and each time she starts the run, she hits the lap button, when she crosses the line, she presses it again. You'll then have a single file broken into lap times and a GPS track of each run and you can compare the times of each run by checking the laps.
Will require a hand off the bars to hit the lap button though.
I'm sure Sprung had one for sale recently. No idea on cost
It's on FB Marketplace at the moment - £600